


Dulce Et Decorum Est...AH Shut up!

by annsgopal94



Category: Mahabharata - Vyasa, महाभारत | Mahabharat (TV 2013)
Genre: F/M, Fear, Love, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-07
Updated: 2014-09-07
Packaged: 2018-02-16 12:48:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2270334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annsgopal94/pseuds/annsgopal94
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood <br/>Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs, <br/>Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud,<br/>Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues, <br/>My friend, you would not tell with such high zest, <br/>To children ardent for some desperate glory, <br/>The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est <br/>Pro patria mori."<br/>-Wilifred Owen</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dulce Et Decorum Est...AH Shut up!

**Author's Note:**

> "Dulce Et Decorum Est, Pro Patria Mori" meaning, "It is a sweet and seemly thing to die for your country" by Horace.

Abhi is twenty one and is joining the army in a misguided attempt to please his great grand uncle (who you know was an Army general and is big on canons and ARCHERY. God he loves those bows and arrows. But, you know, guns are cool too). His Dad is totally for it, Mum’s a bit meh, but UTTARA (eighteen) his girlfriend has already given him the coldest look of the millennium and said he could do what he liked.

Now it’s a matter of ego for him, because he cannot understand what her problem is and why she isn’t supportive because even Rajjo Kaka, the cook (remember him?) is all, “Yes Baba! Army is not vaste!”

So, Abhi has already taken the CDSE exams, passed through merit, and is currently packing to go Dehradun, where his training starts. Uttara hasn’t been talking to him for the past few months and whenever he goes over to see Uttar and she’s around, she ignores him and makes profound comments about the armed forces to her general audience (a shame faced Abhi, and an embarrassed Uttar).

Uttar has just left and Prativindhya, Vrishasena and Satanik are just lying on the floor like a sack of potatoes while Abhi walks around the room, tripping over them and wondering where the hell he left his train ticket (Pragati his Dussassan Chachu’s daughter, has hid it. She doesn’t want Bhai to leave.) He’s still walking around when Uttara stomps in, snaps her fingers at him and says, “We need to talk.”

Prativindhya hears this and is up from the floor like a rocket. When he sees that the other two are still on the floor sleeping till kingdom come, he kicks each and hisses, “Utho saalo!” at which each Kuru blinks the sleep out his eyes and exits Abhi’s room. They don’t stop to say hi even, because the ferocious glint in Uttara’s eyes reminds them of Draupadi Ma when she’s upset (her anger is a whole other story and is so potent, it might burn this laptop down).

Uttara closes the door and locks it calmly and then turns around to Abhimanyu.

Oh, Abhi by the way, is trembling at the sight of her. He’s come to realize that he’s actually going away…far away from her, and he has started to understand that he actually loves her. Not the chaand taare todne waala, ishq-mohhabbat waala love. But a steady feeling of inseparability that renders her closer than his life’s breath…it isn’t as vague as it sounds; it is the most real thing in his life.

She walks up to him and whispers, “What if I was going away? What if I left you?”

“I’m not leaving you Uttara. I’m going to be a part of the army,” he says not unreasonably.

But Uttara can see what Abhimanyu cannot.

“What does the army do Abhimanyu?” she asks softly.

Abhi is thrown. “Abhimanyu” means something is up.

“Nothing is going to happen to me! I’m going to be training Uttara! I’m not even going to war!” he says laughing at her fears. “I’ll be like that guy who got into the chakravyuh-“

“And never came out,” Uttara sobs.

“Uttara you’re overreacting,” he says losing patience with her ridiculousness.

“And even if you do stay alive, I’ll be constantly wondering whether you’re alive or not because I won’t see you for months Abhi! I just want to nip it in the bud Abhi because I don’t want to stand here five years, ten years, twenty years from now and think that if I had stopped you then and I wouldn’t have lost you now.”

“Twenty years from now?” he smiles. You still want to be in my life twenty years from now?” he grins stupidly tearing up (“Jawans don’t cry cadet!”).

Uttara nods fervently because she can feel permanence with Abhimanyu.

“I want to stay Abhi,” she says.

He crushes her lips with his and leads her to the bed after a long time.

——————————————

Abhi doesn’t go in the end. Because someone called Pariksit is on his way, and his grandfather Pandu tells him that it’s important to stay alive/stay around for your children (see Vichitravirya).


End file.
